Multiple-compartment laundry machine



Dec. 3-1, 1929. 5, w. DUNHAM 1,741,685

MULTIPLE COMPARTMENT LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed April 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l um w d ooof WW-ML ATTORNEY Dec. 31, 1929. G. w. DUNHAM MULTIPLBCOMPARTMENT LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed April 23, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR [760!265 M DIM/HAM BY W ZLM ATTORNEY enonon w. mmmmor UTICA, imw Yonx, A oonronnrron or new roan Patented Dec. 31; 1929 QUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE [nu-Ion, or 11mm, NEW YORK,

nssrenon 'ro rm; wnmnnmr conno- HULTIPLE-COMPABTIENT LAUNDRY application filed April 28,

The invention relates to laundry machines, and more particularly to those of the type' performing both washing and drying operations.

According to the invention, a laundry machine provided in which a batch of laimdry may be subjected to several operations, such as washing, rinsing, blueing, drying, etc. without removing the laundry from the mam chine and without discarding any of the sev- 1 eral liquids used for performing these operations. This is accomplished by providing the machine with a plurality of compartments for holding the several liquids. Also appropriate means are provided for directing the several liquids into the tub. in which the laundry is placed orinto any one of the'compartments, as may be necessary or desirable. Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be obvious from the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying the invention or from an inspection of the accompanying drawings; and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features .of construction 7 parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the drawings:

- Fig.1 -represents'an elevation/with parts broken away illustrating a laundry machine made according to the teachings of the invention; I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view partly in section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; 1 Fig. 3 isea plan view taken on theline 3 of Fig. 2 showing the construction of the par tition inthe tank;

Fig. 4 represents an elevation partly insec- 'on illustrating a modified form; and

. Fig. 5 is a plan view showing-the constrnction of the compartments, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In the following description and in, the claims parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a laundry machine is shown having a receptacle 1 of was. atrium. 104,023.. the imperforate type for holding both the laundry-and washing liquid thereby acting .as a wash tub. -Thisreceptacle 1 may be rotated to discharge the laundry liquid from the laundry during centrifugadrying operc I i The laundry machine may comprise a lower tank section 2 supported by legs and having a bottom 3 which slopes downwardly toward the middle of the tank, at which point an opening 4"is provided. A horizontall disposed centrifugal type pump 5 may, be secured to the bottom, the intake of the connecting with the opening 4 in the bottom Secured to the lower side of the pum casing 5 may be a gear box 6 in which suitable gearing may be located for driving the several. parts of the machine. An electric motor 7 may be supported from the bottom of the lower tank section 2 and may serve to drive the gearing in the gear box 6 by means of the belt 8. lsing from the upper wall of the pump casing 5 ma be a hollow pedestal 11 on the top of whic the receptacle 1 is journalled. Suitable shafting may be provided within the hollow pedestal 11 and in operative relation to the gearing in the gear box 6 'for driving the receptacle 1. The particular mechanism in the gear box for driving the receptacle as well as the specific construction of the receptacle is disclosed in my copen g application Serial .No. 18,086, filed March 25, 1925, on laundry machine and forms no part of the present invention.

A strainer 9 comprising a conical portion fitting around the hollow pedestal 11, the conical portion having at its base a large radial flange, may beprovided at the bottom of the lower section 2 to strain the water entering the pump 5.

Located above the lower tank section 2 is an upper tank section 12 which may be o arger diameter thanthe lower section 2. The upper section may comprise a generally cylindrical shell having a bottom wall 13 having a central opening 14 surrounded by an upstanding annular flange 15 to form'a gallery 16. In the bottom wall 13 of the gallery 16 may be a drain openingl? in which may be prise a -within the receptacle during the several ofholes 23" laundry operations. A plurality may be provided in a periphery near the top for allowing laundry liquid to leave the receptacle during the several laundry operations.

Secured to the side of the lower tank section 2 may be a standpipe 24 which may comriser tube 25 having a trap in the bottom and a lateral branch 26 connectedto the discharge of the pump 5 by means of a flexi ble tube 27. Telescoped within the riser tube 25 is a flow pipe 28 having a goose-neck nozzle 29 at its upperend. The flow pipe is open at its lower end and'has an opening 30 near its lower end which may register with the branch 26 in the riser tube as illustrated in Fig. 1.

' The lower tank section 2 may havea false bottom 31 having an opening 34 in the center thereof. A partition made up of two sections may be provided to divide the lower tank section 2 into two compartments A and B, each partition section comprising a vertical wall 35 and one-half of a cylindrical wall 36. When these two like sections are placed together as shown in Fig. 3-apartition is formed comprising two diametrically opposed. walls 35 and a cylindrical wall 37 spaced from-the hollow pedestal 11. The cylindrical wall and also the annular flange 15 of the upper tank section 12 are spaced from the hollow pedestal so as to allow free lateral movement of the hollow 1pedestal. It will be understood that the ho ow pedestal 11 may swa laterally slightly under some conditions 0 operations such ceptacle is rotating.

The two compagtments A- and B may be provided with discharge openings 40 and 41 preferably in the false bottom 31 and which may be closed by means of stoppers 42 and 43. The stoppers 42 and 43'may have stopper rods 44 and 45 which may able guides 46 and 47,

ivoted to a cam lever 48 fulcrumed in ears 38 on the cylindrical wall 37.

On the lower surface of the bottom 13 of the upper tank section 12 an annular depending flange 51 may be provided to maintain the upper tank section in liired lateralrelation to t e lower tank section. This flange may be provided with a cam surface which co-operates with the end of the cam lever 48 to operate the stoppers 42 and 43 by relative rotation of the upper and lower tank sections. A weight 52 may be provided on the stopper be guided in suit.-

.rplaced filled with washing receptacle as when the rethe stopper rods being flange 51 is moved to allow the weight to become efiective: Thus it will be seen that in the position shown in Fig.1 the stopper in compartment B is closed while the stopper in compartment A is op section 12 is rotated 180 the stopper in compartment "A will be closed and'that in compartment B will be open. I

' While the laundry machine may be operated to use the compartments A and B in a variety of ways the following of one method of operating the machine will be given. To wash the laundry, it may be in the receptacle 1 and-the receptacle liquid and the laundry agitated. in any suitable way. If desired, suflicient washing liquid may be'provided so that it may be pumped continually from the bottom of the lower section 2 to the top of the 1. Fig. 1 indicates in which the several parts of should be during washing operations. As the washing liquid is fed to the top of the receptacle it will voverflow through the discharge openings 23 into the gallery 16 thence through the drain opening 17 partment A, thence through the drain-opening 40 into the intake of the pump. 5. whence it will be discharged by the pump through the standpipe 24 into the top of the receptacle.

After the washin operation is completed, the flow of water through the standpipe 24 may be stopped by shifting the flow pipe 28 so as to cause the solid wall of the flow pipe 28 to register with the branch 26 in the riser tube 25. The receptacle may then be rotated for centrifugal extraction to thoroughly remove the washliquid, the wash liquid collecting in tank A since it cannot be discharged through the standpipe. After all of the wash liquid is collected in tank A the upper tank section may be rotated 180 causing the stopper in compartment A to close and the stopper incompartment B to open.

en. Then the upper description into the comrod 44 to close'its stopper when the cam the position the machine" The laundry in the receptacle is now ready for rinsing. The rinse water may be added by a hose from the faucet (not shown) while the receptacle is rotating to effect an improved rinsing method which is disclosed and claimed iii my co-pending application, Serial No. 101,026 filed April '10, 1926.

If it is desired not to save the rinse water it may be continually discharged out of the flow pipe clear of the machine, the flow pipe 28 thenbeing in the position shown by the dotted lines, the open end of the flow pipe being above'the branch 26. If, however, desired to-save-the 'rinse water, when suflicient rinse water is supplied to the machine, the laundry'may be thoroughly rinsed causin the rinse water to be continually 011- culate through the machine. The rinse water will be discharged from the discharge openings 23 in the r ceptacle into the gallery 16, into tank B, into the pump 5, whence it will be pumped back into the receptacle 1.

- After the laundry is rinsed, the flow pipe 28 may be raised to stop the flow of water therethrough and the rinse Water may then be collected in tank B, the rotation of the receptacle operating to extract all liquid from the receptacle by centrifugal extraction. The machine is now ready for washing the next batch of laundry.

To wash the second batch of laundry the upper tank section 12 will be rotated to cause the stopper in tank B in tank A to open. It will thus be seen that the wash liquid which was stored in tank A is available for discharge by the pump 5 and standpipe 24 into the receptacle for washing.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, the tank 60 in this modification is made in one section with a gallery 61 secured to the cylindrical wall of the tank below the discharge openings 23 of the receptacle 1. The gallery may have a plurality of openings 62 and 63 which may be closed by manually operated stoppers 64 and 65.

A plurality of compartments in the bottom of the tank 60 is provided by setting two half tanks 66 and 67 into the main tank, the inner happen to be us ,ous that any number of compartments may wall of each half tank having a semi-cylindrical part spaced from the hollow pedestal 11 to allow free lateral movement thereof. Each compartment C and D is located under a particular drain opening 62 and 63 into the gallery 61. Thestoppers 68 and 69 for controlling the outlet of the liquid in the.

compartments C and D are operated manually by means of stopper rods 70 and 71 pivoted to a lever member 72. A rod 7 3 may extend from the lever member 72 out through the side of the tank 60 to a handle 7 4 for operating the stoppers manually.

The operation of this modification will be obvious from the description given above. When it is desired to collect liquid in compartment O the stopper 68 will be closed and the stopper 64 above compartment 0 will be opened. Similarly, to collect liquid in compartment D, the stopper 69 in the bottom will be closed and the stopper 65 above compartment D will be opened. lVhen circulation through themachine of the particular liquid which is stored in one of the compartments is desired, it is obvious that the two stoppers which are in the desired path will be opened.

Although the above described example of operation of the invention described the compartments as being used for the Washing liquid and rinsing liquid, it is obvious that any two liquids which it is desired to save may be stored in these tanks, such as the washing and blueing liquids or any other liquids that ed. Furthermore, it is obvibe provided for saving any number of liquids. The construction according to the into close and the stopper vention is very advantageous when the laundry is large and therefore must be. divided into' a number of batches.

The invention allows each bath to be put through theseveral operations of washing, rinsing, blueing and drying with great facility and without wasting any of the several liquids so that the same liquids may be used for a second and subsequent batches and with- I out manually handling a given batch from its introduction into the machine to its removal therefrom.

lVhile I have shownand described and have lnted out in the annexed claims certain novel features of the-invention, it will be understoodthat various omissions, substitutions an changes in the forms the invention. s5

parting from the spirit of y invention, I

l-Iavmg thus described 1 claim:

said cylindrical and radial walls dividing said tank into two compartments.

3. A laundry machine comprising an upright, generally cylindrical tank having a transverse bottom Wall, a pump having its inlet connectedto said transverse bottom wall, a bottom partition spaced above said bottom 4 a bottom compartment, transyerse walls dividing said tank into a plurality of storage compartments above said bottom compartment, and means for selectively connecting said storage compartments with saidbottom compartment.

4. A laundry machine comprising a lower tank section having a plurality of compartments therein, said compartments having drain openings, stoppers for said drain openings, an upper tank section having a gallery,

mounted in said upper section, gallery having a drain opening in its bottom and having a cam surface, and devices controlled by partment over which said gallery drain opening is positioned. 5. A laundry machine comprising a lower section having a (plurality of storage compartments, an upper section mounted on sai lower section, a clothes receptaclerotatably mounted in said upper section, said upper section having a gallery to catch water dischargedfromsaidreceptacle, said gallery having a drain opening, and means whereby sai upper section may be rotated relative to sai lower section to place said opening over sai compartments selectively to deliver water thereto.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. v

GEORGE W. DUNHAM. 

